Done with Muslims and women, Martin Amis now insults children.
Pity poor Martin Amis, who can’t seem to shake his habit of making self-consciously offensive remarks. Apparently he thinks it preserves his reputation as an enfant terrible, but really, Martin, what...
View ArticleAncient sex does not begin and end with the Kama Sutra.
Looking for something literary to write about for Valentine’s Day, I came across Sam Jordison’s clever take-down of The Kama Sutra in the Guardian — but it left me in a foul temper, wondering why we...
View ArticleAtlas sucks: The movie version of Ayn Rand’s manifesto looks as bad as the...
Ayn Rand’s foes and fans alike should be thrilled by the trailer of the new film version of her novel Atlas Shrugged. On the one hand it looks slavishly faithful to the book. On the other, it looks...
View ArticleBreaking news: Video games will save the world. Plus, the moon is made of...
Far be it from me to disparage another person’s vice — I’ve admitted a weakness for the Syfy Channel more than once — but apparently it’s not enough to tolerate video games as a harmless pastime. We...
View ArticleBankruptcy may be a tragedy, but Borders had it coming.
Am I the only one catching a whiff of good old fashioned karma in the news Borders will close 30 percent of its stores? Sure, it’s a tragedy for towns and neighborhoods left without a bookstore, but I...
View ArticleForget Harry Potter, here’s a real fantasy: Poppy Montgomery as J.K. Rowling.
Here’s a great idea! Let’s make a movie about J.K. Rowling, but without Jo’s participation. Let’s cast an Australian actress. Let’s substitute Canada for Scotland. Let’s call it “Strange Magic.” Cue...
View ArticleCubans love books — too bad they have almost nothing to read.
Reading this Associated Press account of the International Book Fair in Havana, I don’t know whether to laugh at the farce of a literary festival held under Castro’s iron heel, or to weep at the...
View ArticleLost in the Everglades.
If anyone is wondering where I was the last two days, let me tell you the story of my unscheduled adventure. While hiking in the Big Cypress National Preserve on Tuesday with my daughter Alexis, I got...
View ArticleMaking peace with the end of the world like we always have — through stories.
Over at Huffpo this morning, Peter Steinberg offers a list of 12 dystopian novels for us to admire — or dispute. I also take issue with his reason for the enduring popularity of good books about a bad...
View ArticleLet’s honor Brazilian great Moacyr Scliar by reading his books
Considering the corrosive critical reaction Yann Martel received for his most recent novel, last year’s Beatrice and Virgil, it may turn out that his most lasting contribution to literature will lie in...
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